Kemp, Holland and Copeland, participated in the 105 Voices in History concert, a performance that brings together students from historically black colleges and universities in order to develop leadership skills through the arts.

The three were chosen for the concert choir not only because of their performing ability, but also for their leadership skills.

“I was in awe, I was ecstatic,” Copeland said. “I very rarely get to travel these days so traveling to a place like Washington D.C. was amazing.

“It gives you a sense of pride because you feel like someone has chosen you to be a representative and at the same time you realize you're going to be a part of something that's a lot bigger than yourself,” he added.

While in Washington, the students had the opportunity to attend workshops on financial literacy, diversity, inclusion and business etiquette, entrepreneurship and also were able to meet with leaders in the business world.

“It gave us a lot of opportunities to meet people who work for fortune 500 companies, business leaders, non-profits, prominent people in the DC area,” Kemp said.

Additionally, Holland won a $5,000 scholarship and Copeland performed a solo at the event.

The three students all have been singing most of their lives, and Kemp and Holland are music majors. But this is the first time any of them have performed in such a prominent location.

“It was a very humbling experience especially as an African American,” Kemp said. “We are not always in those arenas and so it's very humbling, it's a lot of honor, it's a lot of pride to be able to be in this type of environment with people that do the same thing you do and also look like you.”

Kemp added, “You don't normally see a lot of classically trained African Americans in a place such as this.”

The choir performed various selections including classical, gospel and jazz selections.

The program was started years ago by Renata “Toni” Roy in an attempt to support rising leaders in the performing arts. For these students, performing at the Kennedy Center was just that.

“The whole reason we were there was not just for our sake, but for the people who were listening and whoever else is out there, in something that brings us all together through music,” Holland said.